The human voice best indicates poor sonic quality at a natural site.

Evidence

Each sound is classified as “pleasing” or “annoying.” For instance, a survey was conducted by Pilcher et al. (2009) at Muir Woods National Monument, California. Some visitor-caused sounds such as produced by a talking group were considered annoying, a strong indication that the human voice can be a good indicator of the sonic quality of a site, whereas wind and water were considered highly pleasing. — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 2271

Categorization

• CANDY: Counterintuitive nugget: our own voices, not engines, are what park visitors most dislike.
• XREF: connects to: Park sound management must limit audibility, not just sound level. — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 2284; Solo voice and simple instrument recordings least reveal loudspeaker flaws; Humans are least sensitive to delayed sounds emerging from the same speaker — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 627 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Solo voice and simple instrument recordings least reveal loudspeaker flaws #qualifies (0.85)
• Speech and solo voices are the least revealing test sounds for loudspeaker flaws #qualifies (0.85) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 383
• Humans are least sensitive to delayed sounds emerging from the same speaker #corroborates (0.75) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 627